Page 88 of The Heartbreak Hotel

“Hear me when I say this, Riley. You haven’t let me down.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her with a stern glare.

“I’d only be disappointed if you didn’t follow your heart. It would go against everything we teach here. Life works in these mysterious ways… The guides, the energies, they’re always working to try and help us on our path. If you deny that, when you know it to be true in your bones? Well, that would mean that I would have let you down. All these years would’ve been a waste.”

Riley’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to make sense of his words. “But…I don’t understand. António and the triplets… The scandal. It wrecked you. I remember it.”

“António couldn’t keep his snake in the cage. That is completely different.” He touched his hand to his chest. “I know you feel with this. And with everything you’ve been through, I’m relieved that it can still experience these things so deeply.” A warm smile spread across his face. “I might be an old man now, but I still know love when I see it. You’ve been different these last few weeks. It’s wonderful to see you happy.”

He tapped her hand and then moved away to drink from his mug, as though the things he’d just said were completely everyday and not a healing medicine to Riley’s soul. She followed suit, savouring the warm tea as it slid down her throat.

He set his mug down. “If you still want to leave the island, that is your decision. You know I would never stand in the way of your path, wherever that leads.” A sparkle returned to his eyes. “However, I may have another proposition for you.”

Riley’s stomach clenched, her grip tightening on the mug. “What is it?”

“I’ve been running the course for twenty years now. You’re not the only one who can feel change pulling at their windsails.”

Riley’s spine shot straight. “No, Danilo! You can’t leave.”

He chuckled, the sound reverberating in his throat. “I’m not leaving. Sandy Springs is my beating heart. I’ll just take a step back and enjoy some more of the quiet.”

Relief flooded her for a moment. But his steady gaze refused to give anything away. “What are you saying?” she asked.

“You know the island inside out, love her like I do. There’s no one I would trust more to lead the course, inject some fresh life into it.”

“You…you want me to be the manager?” She could hardly string the sentence together.

“If that’s the way you want to phrase it.” He grinned. “Yes.”

She rubbed her hands over her face. Danilo trusted her? Wanted her to run things? What? She’d just come to terms with her time at Sandy Springs coming to an end. This news sent everything back into a spin. Maybe the fumes from the fire had propelled her into a long, deep sleep? Or did Romeo pick the wrong type of berries for the punch again?

“Should I take your extended silence as an acceptance or a refusal?” he teased.

“No. No. This is great. Amazing. I just…What about Ella?”

Riley couldn’t do this without her. More than that, she didn’t want to. She didn’t want a future without Ella.

He eyed her and arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure someone as outgoing as Ella wouldn’t have any trouble finding a suitable role here on the course.”

Riley’s jaw almost fell off its hinges. “You mean you’re okay with this?”

“All I’ve ever wanted for you is to find your happiness again. To break the cycle that chains you to the past.” He nodded, his hand tapping hers. “She has a big heart.”

“She does.” She smiled, thinking about the way she’d left her. Curled up in Riley’s sheets with Ziggy between her legs. Could that be her new normal? For her place to become their place? She finished her drink and stood, feeling a little uneasy on her feet. “I need to speak to Ella first. But wow. Thank you, Danilo. For believing in me. For understanding.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He collected their mugs and set them in the sink before joining her by the door. He placed a hand on her shoulder, those gentle eyes studying hers.

Without overthinking it, Riley wrapped her arms around him. His scent mingled with the citrus smell of the bergamot, and she breathed out a sigh of relief when he hugged her back. Tears welled in her eyes again, but this time for a different reason.

She was accepted; she was loved.

When they parted, Riley caught the glimmer of emotion shining in his eyes, too. Before she started bawling completely, she said goodbye and stepped out into the sunshine. Now, she needed to talk to Ella.

Riley had never even given it half a thought. The two of them staying on the island had been such an impossibility. Would Ella feel the same? Would she leave England behind for good?

And what if the answer was no? What then?

Epilogue